Electric Propulsion Gaining Traction in China

Fourin, a Japan-based market-research group, expects production capacity for battery-powered passenger vehicles, both pure EVs and plug-in hybrids, to grow to 3.8 million units in 2020, up from 1.0 million in 2016.

Toyota Levin among China’s best-selling conventional hybrids.

TOKYO – Chinese automakers are projected to have the capacity to produce 4.4 million electric vehicles in 2020, more than triple current levels, according to a leading Japanese market-research organization.

Fourin, based in Nagoya, expects production capacity for battery-powered passenger vehicles, both pure EVs and plug-in hybrids, to grow to 3.8 million units in 2020, up from 1.0 million in 2016. Including buses and trucks, last year’s total was 1.2 million.

Separately, Fourin reports Chinese automakers produced 517,700 plug-in hybrids and EVs last year, nearly 40% more than in 2015. Included were 349,000 passenger vehicles. Plug-in hybrids accounted for 21% of the passenger-vehicle total.

Buses, the second-largest segment, totaled 240,000 units.

EV and PHEV output grew to a record 507,000 units in 2016, up 53% from prior-year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Fourin reports most EVs are in the A and B segments. BYD is the only automaker producing models with range exceeding 188 miles (300 km).

Sales of conventional hybrids, meanwhile, grew to 86,200 units powered by Toyota’s Levin and Corolla hybrids, in production since 2015 at the automaker’s GAC Toyota Motor and Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor joint ventures. Toyota reportedly is planning to add RAV4 and C-HR hybrids to its China lineup in 2018.

The research company reports five brands accounted for 50% of hybrid and EV sales in China between 2011 and 2016, with BYD producing both plug-in hybrids and EVs and claiming a 16% share. Following were Zhejiang Geely at 10%, Toyota at 9%, BAIC at 8%, and Jianglin at 6.5%.

Among the Chinese-foreign tie-ups in the EV/PHEV segments: Audi and FAW Group; BMW and Brilliance; Daimler and BAIC; and Nissan and Dongfeng.

In total, more than 50 vehicle manufacturers produced battery-powered cars, trucks and buses last year in the world’s biggest auto market.

By 2020, Fourin expects the number of plants with the capacity to produce more than 1,000 units annually to grow to more than 90, nearly doubling the estimated 50 today.

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Meanwhile in the US we seem to have an overwhelming opposition to electric propulsion for an array of unfounded reasons. What date will we look a back and say, "Remember when the US was technologically superior to China" and one can respond with "Yeah, the good 'ole days".